


There is family and there is you

by rnarvcl



Category: Naruto
Genre: Coming Out, F/F, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, Sort of maybe, Unrequited Crush, hinata has a crisis, neji tries to be a good bro
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-18
Updated: 2017-07-18
Packaged: 2018-12-03 18:43:50
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,451
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11538201
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/rnarvcl/pseuds/rnarvcl
Summary: Neji tuts beside her. Hinata knows that Tenten’s lack of manners had a tendency to put him off at times, even though he knew damn well that not everyone had an upbringing like they did. She ignores him to discreetly watch Tenten blow over her cup of tea instead. Her face brightens with pleasure when she takes the first sip, and something in Hinata stutters.





	There is family and there is you

Neji’s training with his team again, right there are the Hyuuga manor. He’s been doing it more and more often lately.

For the fourth time that week, Hinata finds herself tucked quietly in a corner, observing. She spends as little time in the manor as she can get away with- she sleeps, she eats, she run outs into the stability of team eight’s training grounds or the comfort of Kiba’s home- but it has become close to habitual for her to sit around and watch her cousin’s team train. Taking the chance to learn from Neji, she tells herself.

Tenten flops down next to her, breathing hard. Her buns are coming loose from the back of her head and strands of her hair is sticking to her forehead. Hinata’s eyes roves down, where her shirt is soaked with sweat, and just as quickly, snaps back up to her face.    
  
Neji comes and sits down on her other side. His eyes bore into hers, searching. Not too long ago she would have looked away, looked down, possibly came up with an excuse and ran away. She’s not that person anymore though, and she holds his gaze and offers a smile.

“Tea? You’ve been training very hard.”

“Oh please. Honestly, it’s almost worth it to get beat down by Neji if it means I get to drink your tea afterwards.” It’s Tenten, and she leans over to grab the cup that Hinata had been holding.

Neji tuts beside her. Hinata knows that Tenten’s lack of manners had a tendency to put him off at times, even though he knew damn well that not everyone had an upbringing like they did. She ignores him to discreetly watch Tenten blow over her cup of tea instead. Her face brightens with pleasure when she takes the first sip, and something in Hinata stutters.

* * *

 

  
Her father invites her over into his quarters that evening. Their relationship had gotten slightly better over the past few moths, which just meant that she no longer cowered in fear when she saw her and he acknowledged her existence every once in a while.

For once, they sit at the table together instead of just exchanging words near the entrance. She has an inkling of what he might want to talk about and its taking her all the willpower she has to not run out of the door screaming.

“So, Hinata. You are getting older.”

“Yes, father.” _Hardly news, but not that you ever cared,_ she bites back.

He clears his throat and goes for the plunge. “The elders are talking about getting you married. There’s plenty of clans willing to marry off their sons into our family, of course, but there are plenty of established civilian families in the land of fire too. After all, the Byakugan needs to be kept in the family-”

She lets her father’s words wash over her.

“But if you want, the Uzumaki boy wont be a bad choice either.” He says, and Hinata starts. That was a new development. “He’s a village hero, and I have gotten the impression that you might have…” He looks deeply uncomfortable. “..feelings. Towards the boy.”   
  
Hinata could understand. In the Hyuuga clan, just like in all the older clans, “feelings” weren’t a thing that was taken into account when getting married. Marriage had always been something for the benefit of the family as a whole, not just the individual.

It was shocking, that her father had even mildly considered what she might want out of the marriage. She should have been pleased. Elated. Ecstatic that she might be able to marry someone she wanted, someone the elder might not have completely approved of, someone that could truly make her happy, someone like-

“I will keep that in mind, father.” She said, and dismissed herself. 

* * *

  
  
Neji was pacing the halls when she stepped out. It was one of his lesser known nervous habits, his tendancy to spend hours walking up and down the corridors of the manor and glaring at anyone that was in his path.

He didn’t glare when Hinata bumps into him though. Instead, he gives her an amused smirk. “Marriage talk?”

“Father suggested I marry Naruto.” 

Neji lets out a laugh. There wasn’t anyone in their group of friends that didn’t know what was going on between him and Sasuke. “Good luck with that.” He turns his gaze on her. “For whats it worth, I’m sorry it didn’t work out. I know you liked him for a while.”

Hinata shrugs. She wasn’t particularly upset. Learning that she won’t ever have a chance with Naruto had felt like a confirmation of something she had always known, not the devastating news everyone (well, Kiba) seemed to think it was.

Neji’s face suddenly morphs into one of discomfort. Hinata was struck but how much he resembled her father when he was talking about her marriage in that moment. It made sense, their fathers were identical twins, after all, but it was always a shock to be reminded so vividly of how much blood they actually shared.

“You know, my first crush was Naruto, too.”

Hinata could feel her eyes widen. “You had a crush on Naruto?” she squeaked. She could briefly make out Neji’s reddening cheeks in the evening light.

“Dont- dont tell anyone. But yes. I did have a crush on him. Still do, maybe, I dont really know. Not that it matters, of course…” he trails off.

Hinata wasn’t sure what to say. Of all the ways she had expected the conversation to go, this wasn’t it.

“Anyways,” Neji continued. “I’m telling you this so that you know you are not the only one, alright?”

“I never thought I was the only one in love with Naruto.” She croaks out. That much was true. As hated as he was when he was younger, Naruto had became one of the most sought after men in Konoha. Funny what saving the entire village can do to one’s reputation.

And there it was, back again, the same searching look he had given her that afternoon. “That wasn’t what I meant.” Neji says, before walking away. 

* * *

 

The last conversation had brought up things about herself that Hinata wasn't ready to acknowledge.  So she avoids Neji, and by extension, his team for as long as she can until he spots her and corners her one day.  

“Yes?” She asks, trying to give the impression that she has somewhere to be. She doesn’t really, Kiba’s off on a mission and Shino’s out in sand collecting some bees or butterflies and those were pretty much the the only people she hung out with, as sad as it was.

Neji seems to be well aware of that fact and makes no move to let her move away. “Hinata, you know it’s not a bad thing, right? It’s normal." 

"What's normal?" Neji liked to talk in circles and metaphors, and she hopes that the direct question would throw him off long enough for her to make an escape. 

Neji was having none of that. "Liking girls." He says, uncharacteristically direct. The words hit Hinata as hard as his gentle fist to the gut did, many years ago. "Liking Tenten. Being-" 

"Stop. Please stop." Hinata's voice was breaking now. "I know it's normal. It's not that. That's not the issue." 

Neji’s quiet. They both knew what really was the issue, the cause of many of their issues since they were born. It was their family, their damn clan. Clan this, clan that the purpose of their entire existence being to serve their elders and uphold an image at the cost of their own lives and happiness. To never have act on a feeling or a thought or a desire if it meant shaming the clan in anyway. To keep your true self wrapped up and live only as an extension of your relatives. 

“You know,” he eventually says, quietly. “Tenten’s in the east wing. Our training got a little out of hand just now. I came here to get some of that ointment you make for her, actually.” His voice is ever so challenging, when he says, “why don’t you go give it to her yourself?”

The question brings tears to her eyes, and she desperately blinks them back. Tears of joy over having her cousin support choose her happiness over the clan's, or tears of sadness knowing that despite that support, it was worth nothing compared to what the rest of the family wanted, she couldn't tell. 

“Alright.” Hinata says anyways. Spending time with Tenten couldn't hurt, even she couldn't allow herself for their relationship to become something more than what it was now. “Alright, I will.” 

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading! Do leave a comment and/or follow my tumblr @ymikuri for more femslash


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